Elementite

On the surface, Elementite looks like a decent addition to the indie third-person shooter scene. The story behind the scenes sets a different perspective, though. The game is an ambitious effort from an aspiring solo developer who took care of nearly every aspect of the project. And if the trailers say anything, it's a pretty impressive feat.

Elementite has taken the route of high-budget game aesthetics. While it's a great goal to charge for, the problem is that often these games will lack in substance because there isn't enough manpower to support them. However, we've seen ambitious projects succeed before, and I'm sure we'll see it again. Will Elementite be one of those projects?

An All-Natural Approach

Elementite is set on a narrative resembling a Hollywood-scale action film. You are an ex-Global Soldier, a government fighter hellbent on revenge because of your treatment in an experimental laboratory. With that premise, it's noticeable that there are big-picture aspirations here. But whether it serves as a portfolio piece or a solid drive to AAA gameplay is yet to be seen.

We can safely say that Elementite isn't quite up to the mark in terms of polish and refinement. However, we'll give it that there is a lot of enthusiasm behind creating a great third-person action game. The combat is fun and varied, giving your character a complete set of melee moves and a wicked arsenal to fight with. The visuals are also impressive, actually resonating a dystopia world.

The recurring problem throughout the game is that everything feels broken. Bugs are rife, obviously because there was no official QA team. Pretty much every aspect of gameplay needs to be reviewed - movement, progression system, level design, and definitely narrative. Elementite results from a colossal effort to make a AAA game on a smaller budget - or no budget at all.

Let's remember that it's not terrible, though. Understanding that this game was made by a solo dev is all the more impressive. The fact that the dev could conjure this game by himself will show potential for a promising career in bigger-budget games. Elementite could use some community refinement at the moment, but it could become something decent!

Need More Elements

You can't help but feel that Elementite resembles Prototype, being somewhat similar in gameplay and narrative. That's not a bad thing, considering that this solo developer taps into influences from a mechanically complex game. Again, too many technical roadblocks prevent gameplay from being fluid.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• An incredible effort for a solo developer
• Combat is fun with grand melee and weapon options
• Visuals set the tone for the game well

Cons:

• Gameplay is buggy in nearly every respect
• The narrative could use more lore in parallel with the open world
• Costs quite a bit for a solo developed game